PALS – Physical Activity Leaders

Cork Sports Partnership working with Age & Opportunity Active and The HSE is delighted to offer a PALs workshop in Cork this Spring. Completing this workshop will enable PALs to lead activity sessions with their group.

Across Ireland, almost 1,000 active PALs (Physical Activity Leaders) lead and organise their groups in regular and fun physical activity sessions. The PALs will then, typically, go on to lead physical activities with groups or communities of mobile older people, such as Active Retirement Groups, ICAs and other groups.

Potential PALs do not need to have any background or formal experience in leading physical activities. They simply need to be independently mobile, active older people. We encourage two or three members of each group to attend the same PALs Workshops so that they can support each other in the leading of activities afterwards.

To avoid confusion or disappointment, we try to be very clear about the purpose of the PALs Workshops:

1. They are designed for independently mobile, active older people who are willing to lead members of their own group or community in physical activities
2. They are not an ‘end user’ activity session but a way of training people to lead others in ‘end user’ sessions
3. They are not designed for fitness professionals. We invite them to contact the Active office directly for more information
4. They are not designed for health or care workers working with more dependent older people in day or residential care settings. These people should be directed to Active’s CarePALs course

Date: Six Wednesdays March 5th to April 9th

Time: 10am – 3pm

Venue: O’Donovan Rossa GAA Club, Skibbereen, Rossa Road, P81 HF74

Cost: FREE

Extra Info: Limited Places, Refreshments each day

The PALs Workshops are:

• Basic Principles- Wed March 5th
• Sit Fit- Wed March 12th
• Better Balance- Wed March 19th
• Going Strong- Wed March 26th
• Rolling and Bowling and Pitching and Tossing- Wed April 2nd
• Stepping and Strolling and PALs Skills- Wed April 9th

PALs Workshops

PALs Workshops are designed to be a fun, practical experience. Each workshop is a mix of theory and practical physical activity and lasts from 10am until 3pm. Participants must attend all of the Workshops offered. The first eight workshops will be run in one block or in two blocks of four. Each workshop must have a minimum of 12 participants and a maximum of 24. If numbers are larger than that, contact the Active office to discuss.

Certificates of Attendance

At the end of the series of PALs Workshops, Active provides a printed certificate of attendance to each participant. We encourage the local agency to present the certificates to the participants on the last day, i.e. at the ‘PALs Skills’ workshop. It also gives the local representative a chance to see how the group has progressed over the sessions.

Inquiries to Tim Burke: tburke@corksports.ie or Claire Hurley: claire.hurley@hse.ie